Being the Villain
by Rocketshipper
Summary: Pete used to be a normal everyday citizen of Disney Town, until the day he agreed to become a servant of the evil witch Maleficent. What would drive a man to turn against the world, and what will he choose when he's finally forced to question that role?


Being the Villain

-Hey, Rocketshipper here. Got another fanfic for ya. Its another Kingdom Hearts Pete centric fanfic. I came up with this idea a long time ago, back around the time KH 2 was out, but never felt like actually writing it until now. It has a few similar themes to my last KH fanfic, but the situation is different this time around. I hope it turns out good, and that everyone who reads it enjoys it. And the usual, I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of these characters, Squenix and Disney do. See you at the end!-

- 1 -

The past

He stepped out of the swirling black corridor of darkness into bright sunlight. He was standing on a grassy hill, overlooking a peaceful country village. He glanced around, and fidgeted with the alignment of his new blue and red armor, specially made for him, just for missions like this. It was a brand new world, yet another on the growing list he had visited over the past few months, all on orders from his mistress Maleficent. Another world for him to plunge into darkness and harvest for their growing army. He surveyed the horizon, and then closed his eyes, flexing a deep hidden part of his mind. Around him, pools of pure darkness coalesced, and out of them emerged black creatures with glowing yellow eyes; Heartless. He opened his eyes and surveyed the minions he had summoned. "Get going!" he ordered the creatures, pointing down the hill towards the village below. The creatures looked in the direction he pointed, and then began to plod off, carrying out the one action their instincts commanded them to do; seek out and steal hearts. Soon the air would be filled with the sound of chaotic battle, as the Heartless relentlessly attacked anything and everything they could. It was only a matter of time before the Heartless located the Keyhole for this world. Once they found that, the Heart of this world would be taken, and everything in this world would fall into darkness. Just like many had before. Peter Pete, former Steam Boat captain and Royal Guard of Disney Castle, began to walk down the hill towards the town that the heartless were about to ravage, his thoughts lost in memory.

_-Pete floated in a large empty void. Strange colors and wispy shapes undulated around him, but nothing else appeared to be here; he was completely alone. His mind seethed with anger; anger at that annoying goody two shoes trio, Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, for charming everyone and winning the prize that should have been his ,that NEEDED to be his. Anger at the Queen, for banishing him to this lonely prison dimension with no word on how long he'd have to stay, while time continued to slip away from him. Anger at the King most of all, for refusing to do anything no matter how much he had pleaded. It wasn't fair. None of them really cared. When he had heard what exactly the prize for the Million Dreams Festival was going to be, he had known that he would have to do whatever it took to win that contest. No matter the cost. He'd tried to win legitimately; he really had, using the best plan his somewhat slow intellect could come up with, but when he'd seen the prize snatched from his grasp by that trio of over sized key wielders, he'd, well, lost his head a little. But he needed to win that contest. He HAD to have that prize. It was more important to him than anything. And when he got out of here… "Who does she think she is, dumping me in a place like this!" He growled to himself "Well, I'll just bust out of here and…" _

_Suddenly a voice spoke out of the darkness. "Quite fool!" The voice said "You do not possess that kind of power" The voice was obviously female; smooth and seductive, but with a terrifying power beneath it. _

_Pete had no idea who the voice could belong to or where it could be coming from, but he did not like it. "Who's there! Show yourself!" He called out angrily._

"_That is enough! Stop your sniveling and heed my words" The voice replied sharply_

"_Um…ok…" Pete replied feebly, frightened by the great anger and malice he heard in the voice._

"_If you do exactly as I say, I *may* decide to release you from this prison" crooned the voice_

"_Really?" Pete thought quickly. If he agreed to help the owner of this voice, then she might let him out here. It would be the perfect opportunity, and it was better than being stuck in this dimension for who knows how long, and then having to return to Disney Town; nothing more than a bigger prison, now that the prize was out of his reach. In that instant Pete made his decision. "Oh then you can count on me. Just get me out of here, and you can tell me what to do."_

"_A very wise choice indeed!" Replied the voice. "Now…proceed."_

_Pete heard a noise from behind him and turned to find a black swirling vortex had appeared. He hesitated for a moment, and then walked forward, cautiously stepping into the swirling darkness. He found himself in a long corridor of undulating blackness. The scenery terrified him, and he immediately broke into a sprint, charging blindly down the dark twisty corridor. As he ran he felt the darkness around him try to reach out and grab him, try to drag him away into the void. He squeezed his eyes shut and barreled forward even faster, trying not to think about what was around him. Finally, he plunged out of the darkness and into a solid room. The room was obviously part of some medieval castle; the walls and floor were made of dank moss covered stones. Standing in front of him was a tall woman, clad entirely in long black flowing robes. Her face appeared to be that of a beautiful human, except that her skin was a pale green color, and instead of hair, she had two huge black horns growing from the top of her head. Her eyes were yellowish, like a snake, and stared through him with evil power. The woman smiled at him, and Pete's blood nearly froze in his veins. Though outwardly pretty, the smile betrayed the terrible coldness and evil beneath. At that moment Pete knew that he had probably made a mistake; there was no way he could think to try and get away from her. _

"_I am Maleficent, supreme queen of all darkness" said the woman. "Welcome Pete."_

"_H…how do you know my name?" Pete asked timidly, starring at her with apprehension._

"_I know many things." She answered back simply. "Including the thing that you seek above anything else."_

_Pete's eyes widened. His former timidity fell away. Could she really mean…?_

_Maleficent smiled wider "Yes." She replied. "I know what you want. If you agree to obey and serve me without question, swear your loyalty to me, then I will give you that thing which you desire with all your heart and your life." Pete stared at her, all his fear gone, a look of desperate hope beginning to creep into his eyes. Maleficent smiled wider. "The power to cross dimensions at will." She finished._

_Without hesitation, Pete nodded._

Shaking off the memories of the past, Pete reached the center of town. Around him, people ran in fear from the Heartless he had unleashed on the world. Their screams did not reach Pete's ears; he had other things on his mind. Closing his eyes tightly, Pete allowed the invisible power of darkness to flow out of him, spreading through the streets of the town and out into the surrounding country side. Soon Pete could feel every contour and crevice of this world, the presence of every creature on the globe. Silently, he called out with his mind. "Are you here?" There was no answer. He called out harder, exerting his power to its limits, straining with the concentration, searching for the familiar presence. But there was nothing. He opened his eyes and slumped over in exhaustion, breathing rapidly. His heart felt heavy. They weren't in this world either. "Another dead end" Pete sighed to himself, before finally standing up and turning his attention back to his task of conquering this new world.

- 2 -

Realm of Darkness

The Not Too Distant Past

Three figures trudged together through the endless night of the Realm of Darkness. They each wore dark red leather coats, hoods pulled up to hide their faces. The coats were supposed to protect them from the powers of darkness that permeated the land, and shield them from the senses of any heartless that roamed the world, but the three friends had still seen their share of fights during their long stay here. It seemed like it had been forever since the three of them fell into this dimension; forever since the mission the King gave them went so horribly wrong. Time seemed to work differently in this realm, and the three of them had aged very little since arriving there, despite the fact that they had to have been there for years. They had encountered many strange things while wandering this desolate world, dangerous Heartless of all shapes and sizes, strange weather phenomena, a mirage that appeared to be their king, strange hooded men disappearing and reappearing at will. It had been one of these hooded men that had shown them how to make coats of their own, and had informed them of the great danger that the Realm of Light was facing from the Heartless. They had to get back there as soon as possible, but there seemed to be no way for them to escape from this endless world of darkness. At one point their group had been joined by a young beautiful woman with blue hair, a girl who wielded a large key shaped sword. She had taught them how to fight when they were in danger, and the best strategies for dealing with the various types of Heartless they encountered, but they had eventually been separated from her.

Suddenly the leader of the group raised his head and pointed towards the horizon. The others followed his direction. Ahead of them lay something new, something they had never seen before. A beach, with a tranquil sea stretching out to the horizon. The three figures immediately broke into a run and were soon tromping across the sand and splashing into the water. "Hey" the tallest one called "What's that?", he asked, pointing. The others turned and spotted a bottle and a floating scrap of paper that looked like a letter. The shortest one picked the letter up and turned it in his hands, but the paper was soaked and the words had already faded too much to be read. All the same, the boy felt a strange power flow into him as he clenched the letter in his hands. Suddenly a bright light flashed to the trio's left. They turned to see a bright aura of light floating above the water, condensing into what looked like a tear in the very space before them.

The three starred at the glowing aura, until the middle sized one spoke up. "Ya know, I have a feeling that that just might be the way out of here guys." She spoke.

"It's too good to be true" Her brother interjected. "After all this time, to find a way back so easily…?"

"I think your sister's right Peej." The tall one stated "and we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth should we?"

"I guess not" the short one replied back.

"Come on you guys!" the girl intoned. "It looks like its already starting to close."

Without further discussion, the three cloaked figures ran, charging through the glowing rift before them, the last remnant of a Door of Light that boys named Sora and Riku had opened together not long before.

- 3 -

Realm of Light

The Present

"Sora, watch out!" Goofy cried. Hearing his friend's warning, the young keyblade master turned and leapt to the side, as another one of Pete's bouncing energy balls careened across the room, passing so close to Sora that he felt the hair on his legs stand up from the energy field the projectile generated. He hit the ground and rolled to his feet.

"Thanks Goofy" Sora called over his shoulder as he swung his keyblade towards the nearest Heartless threat.

"Ya little pipsqueak, you're not going to dodge the next one!" Pete growled, and he fired more projectiles into the crowd.

Around the room, Sora's allies battled fiercely against the seemingly endless swarms of Heartless. Cloud and Leon sliced through the enemies like butter, while their friend Tifa pounded them with her impressive martial arts. In the center of the room, Merlin the Wizard and Cid stood back to back, fending off the monsters as best they could. Donald and Goofy tag teamed the creatures, covering Sora as he hacked his way through the throngs towards Pete, the one controlling the heartless. It was total chaos, but the tide was slowly but surely turning towards the side of Light.

When Master Yen Sid sent word that Maleficent was planning something particularly nasty in her new Castle, which she conveniently commandeered from the defeated Organization XIII, King Mickey asked Sora to lead a strike against the witch and her Heartless army, before her plan could be completed. And now here they were, fighting there way through Pete's garrison of Heartless, trying to reach the innermost chamber of the Castle and put a stop to Maleficent for good.

Sora sliced through 4 Heartless at once before somersaulting into the air and launching a blizzard spell from the tip of his blade, aimed straight at Pete's head. Pete saw the blast coming, and blocked it with his hand at the last second, but the force of the spell was enough to knock him back into the wall behind him, leaving him momentarily dazed. The Heartless in the room immediately began to act erratically, due to Pete's brief loss of concentration, and the heroes began to gain ground faster. Pete shook himself out of his daze, only to find Sora right in his face, Keyblade swinging furiously. Pete dodged and blocked the Keyblade swings with the tough armor on his forearms, and swung his fists back at the teen, but Sora easily dodged his attacks.

"Getting slow aren't you Pete?" Sora taunted, back flipping over another punch.

"Why I outta…Sit still ya idgit and let me hit ya!" Pete yelled back, gathering dark energy into his hands. As soon as Sora landed, Pete swung his fists, launching a volley of energy balls into Sora's face at point blank range. Sora leaned back quickly, the energy balls flying right over him, skimming centimeters away from his face, and then launched a fire spell out of his Keyblade, straight at the ground. The blast shot him into the air, and he aimed his spinning body towards Pete, striking him several times with the Keyblade. Pete fell to his knees, panting, a thin trickle of blood running from the wrist he'd used to guard against Sora's attack.

Sora pointed his Keyblade at his staggered opponent. "It's over Pete." Sora declared, glancing over his shoulder to confirm that his companions had almost finished mopping up the remaining Heartless. "Surrender now. You won't slip away from all of us so easily like you have in the past."

Pete raised his head and glared at the young Keyblade master. "Is that so?" he asked sarcastically, before suddenly leaping forward, swinging his fists. "Pete never gives up!" he cried out.

Sora easily dodged Pete's punches, and then swung his Keyblade low, striking Pete hard right on the seam of his armor where it bent at the knee. Pete cried out in pain and fell to his knees again. Sora continued the swing of his Keyblade up in an arc and let the momentum carry it back around, sending the sharp end straight for Pete's face. Pete had just enough time to register the incoming weapon, and to realize that this time he had no chance to dodge at all. It would all be over in an instant.

*CLANG*!

Pete opened his eyes and was shocked to see a tall figure dressed in a crimson leather cloak diving in front of him to deflect Sora's keyblade. The figure's outstretched hand held a weapon that deflected Sora's blade just inches away from Pete's face. And weirdest of all, the weapon held by the cloaked figure…looked like a skateboard.

Sora staggered back from the impact of the new arrival's weapon, and then immediately went into his attack stance. "Who are you?" he asked angrily, pointing his blade at the cloaked figure. Behind Sora, the rest of his companions began to gather around, drawn by the commotion.

"Organization XIII!" Donald cried, brandishing his wand towards the cloaked figure.

"No, I don't think it is Donald" Goofy stated, stepping up beside his friend. "There's something different about that guy…"

Sora suddenly leapt forward, swinging his Keyblade at the cloaked intruder. The cloaked man easily parried Sora's swings, swinging his own weapon to block Sora's assault from all angles, and dodging with surprising agility. Without warning, a second cloaked figure dropped down from above and joined the battle. The newest arrival was noticeably short and stocky, but he moved with just as much speed and agility as his comrade. The two cloaked figures attacked Sora relentlessly, pushing him back towards his friends. And then, a 3rd cloaked figure leapt over the heads of everyone and attacked Sora from behind, swinging their weapon down towards his head. Sora quickly activated his Aero magic, surrounding himself with a shield of wind, pushing back the first two figures and blocking the attack from the 3rd. He then back flipped away from the cloaked enemies and landed in front of his friends. The three cloaked figures formed a line in front of Pete, as if protecting him. Pete stared at their backs, confused as to whom these newcomers could possibly be, and why they would intervene to protect him.

"These guys are good" Sora commented, glancing around to his comrades "We're going to have to all take them together" he stated. Around him, the others began to ready themselves for combat.

"Stop!" a familiar voice cried out over the crowd. Sora and his friends turned their heads and were shocked to see King Mickey standing behind them, Keyblade in hand. "Those three aren't our enemies" Mickey stated "I brought them here."

Sora scratched his head in confusion "If they're on our side, why did they defend Pete, and attack me".

"Excuse me, but I believe you started it" the tall one interjected.

A loud crash echoed through the chamber, causing everyone to jump. Goofy had just dropped his shield on the ground. "What's wrong with you Goofy?" Donald asked.

Goofy ignored his friend's question and starred ahead in utter shock. "No…it can't be…" he whispered.

Donald shook his friend's arm. "Goofy, what's wrong with you?" he asked.

Pete's eyes widened at the sound of the figure's voice as well. He knew that voice from somewhere, but he couldn't quit put his mind on where. Closing his eyes, he summoned up his concentration and probed the aura of the three cloaked figures standing in front of him. The feeling he got back…

Sora saw Pete jerk in surprise, as if someone had given him a sudden electric shock. The look on his face was one of utter confusion and disbelief, but mixed with something that looked almost like…hope. Sora looked from Pete to Goofy and back again. "Could someone please explain what's going on here!" he grumbled in exasperation.

Without a word, the three figures in front of the group reached up and lowered their hoods, finally revealing their faces. Sora's eyes widened. The tall figure in the middle looked the spitting image of Goofy, except for the obvious age difference, and the confident attitude that could be seen in his eyes. The short stocky boy was about the same age as the tall boy, and looked exactly like a younger version of Pete, except his face showed great kindness and innocence. The third figure was a young pre-teen girl with beautiful reddish orange hair and freckles, and a smile that was warm but also mischievous.

Sora looked at the three kids and then back to Goofy and Pete. "What's going on, are we dealing with time travel now or something?" he asked, scratching his head in confusion.

Donald tossed Sora a glare "Be quite, you don't know what you're talking about!"

Goofy stepped out in front of the group, his eyes brimming with shock and disbelief. "Max…is that really you?" he asked.

The boy smiled "Yeah dad. Long time no see."

Pete starred at the other two figures, who had turned to face him, as if he couldn't believe his eyes, as if at any moment he expected what was in front of him to vanish like a mirage. "PJ…Pistol…?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah pops, it's us" the stocky boy replied.

"We're back, new and improved" the girl chimed in cheerfully.

Tears began to well up in the corners of Pete's eyes. He tried to get to his feet, but fell back to his knees; he was shaking too much. All the strength seemed to have gone out of his body. "I searched for you…all those years…all those worlds…" he choked out. "I looked for so long…I'd given up hope…but now…" his voice broke as he tried to get to his feet again, only succeeding in stumbling forward. PJ and Pistol stepped forward quickly and caught their dad, one under each arm. Pete looked surprised to actually be touching them, as if he still hadn't accepted that they were real till that moment; then he pulled them close in his arms and held them, his eyes closed, leaking tears, letting out the occasional hiccupy breath.

"Dad, it's ok, we're glad to see you too." PJ said.

"Yeah, and your squeezing kind of hard." Pistol added, giggling a little as she hugged her father back.

Behind them, Goofy was embracing his son Max, who was doing his best to hide his happiness behind feigned embarrassment.

"Dad, you don't have to make such a scene" Max said, playfully half pushing his dad away.

"A dad who hasn't seen his son in over 10 years has a right to make a scene!" Goofy said, hugging Max awkwardly and planting dramatic kisses on his face.

"Dad, stop it!" Max exclaimed, pushing away from Goofy and wiping his face. Suddenly, realization donned on his face. "Wait a minute…10 years? We've been gone THAT long?"

Pistol and PJ pulled away from their dad a bit and turned around to face Max, although Pete still kept an arm around each of them. "It couldn't have been ten years!" Pistol exclaimed. "If it was, Max and PJ would be adults by now."

"Yeah, and I'm definitely not that old." PJ added.

"Time runs differently over there." Mickey explained, "I should know."

"Over where?" Pete asked curiously, looking back and forth between the three kids. "I searched so many worlds. Every world that Maleficent sent me to, and more, trying to find yous guys…but I never sensed anything."

"We weren't even in the Realm of Light Dad" Pistol responded.

"Yeah" PJ added "We were stuck in the Realm of Darkness all this time."

Pete was hit hard by this piece of information. All those years, all that time, he had been searching the worlds in the realm of light; he had never even thought to look in a completely different realm. Plus, Maleficent had forbid him to enter the realm of Darkness except for very quick jumps using the corridors to travel between worlds. All that time…and he hadn't even come close to finding them.

Sora sighed with exasperation "Could someone please explain what is going on? I am so confused."

"Isn't it obvious?" Donald asked in annoyance. "Those are Goofy and Pete's kids!"

"I've figured that much out at least" Sora responded, looking at Goofy and Max standing together "Still can't believe that Goofy is actually a dad. Never pictured it at all." He walked over to Goofy and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, how come you never mentioned you had a son before this?" He asked.

Goofy contemplated for a second and then responded. "I guess I just didn't want to talk about it mainly. I'd almost given up on ever seeing Maxy again" he replied seriously. "And there never really were many chances to talk about our pasts that much anyway while we were on our journey."

"We'd almost given up on ever making it back home too" Max added, looking at his dad with seriously. "It's really great to be back"

"I think I can fill in the rest of the blanks for you Sora" King Mickey began, walking up to the front of the group "It *was* mostly my fault" he continued, looking straight at Pete as he said it, a look of regret on hi face.

"Don't say that, your majesty" PJ said.

"Yeah, you couldn't have known what exactly was going to happen" Max added encouragingly.

"I appreciate the support, but I still never should have sent you in the first place." Mickey replied, before turning to Sora and continuing. "Almost 12 years ago, when all this craziness was just beginning to get underway, there were reports of some strange aggressive monsters attacking citizens around the outskirts of Disney Town. At the time Max and PJ were the top students in the Knight Training program, and due to the castle being pretty short staffed, I ended up asking those two to investigate the attacks for me."

Pete looked King Mickey in the eye, a mixture of pent up anger and sadness showing on his face. "You should have sent me." He interrupted, his voice betraying his held back resentment "The Goof and I could have handled things. They were too young, too inexperienced."

The King looked back at his former guardsman sadly "I know Pete. It was a bad decision made in the heat of the moment. But what's done is done, and the kids accepted the mission without complaint."

Max nodded. "Yeah, we were pretty excited at the time. It was a pretty big honor to be chosen by the King for a mission like that."

"But of course Pistol the Pain had to tag along against our orders and get in the way" PJ added as he glared at his sister.

"Hey cut me a break Bro, I was only 5" Pistol replied playfully "I thought you guys were just playing some dumb game. I didn't know there was going to be real danger"

Max laughed "Yeah, you were sure wrong about that. We ended up getting ambushed by a whole pack of those weird monsters, along with some crazy old bald guy and a kid in a mask. We barely survived fighting them right from the beginning."

"That old guy kept saying stuff about searching for pure hearts of light." PJ contributed "and then that kid with the mask sicced all those monsters on us."

"It had to have been Master Xehanort and his apprentice Vanitas, and the Unversed" Mickey said "They were skulking around even before events really got going."

"It was a pretty crazy intense battle" Pistol commented enthusiastically "explosions and running all over the place and total chaos!"

"Yeah, and we had to spend most of the time protecting you, since you couldn't fight" PJ said with irritation in his voice

"I've said sorry a hundred times since then, give me a break!" Pistol said, before continuing with her commentary "Anyway, that crazy kid in the mask, Vani-whatever, launched a big blast of dark energy at us, and PJ fired a magic blast of his own, and they collided, and created a HUGE explosion!"

Max picked up Pistol's story thread "Yeah, and the explosion somehow, like, punched a hole in reality or something, and we got sucked into this big abyss. When we came to, we were in the realm of darkness."

"Must have been pretty tough for you kids all alone" Goofy commented seriously, putting a hand on Max's shoulder.

"Yeah, it was pretty intense." Max answered back, placing his own hand over his Dad's "Lots of heartless and crazy landscapes and no sunlight at all"

"How did you get back?" Pete asked

"We found a beach at the edge of a big dark ocean, and while we were looking around there, a weird light appeared." Pistol explained.

"Hey!" Sora suddenly interrupted "That must have been where Riku and I…" his voice trailed off as he lost himself in memory.

"Yeah, well anyway…" PJ continued, giving the Keyblade master a funny look "When we stepped into the light we ended up on an island back in this realm. After that, it wasn't too difficult to contact the castle and figure out a way back home."

"They only arrived back at Disney Castle a few hours ago" King Mickey explained, smiling "As soon as I saw it was them, I rushed to bring them here as reinforcements." He looked from Pete to Goofy. "I knew you two would want to know they were safe as soon as possible."

Goofy looked at Mickey with extreme gratitude. Pete felt a tear welling in the corner of his eye and knuckled it away, then suddenly his eyes and brow narrowed in a scowl which he directed towards the king. "Where was all this generosity back when they first went missing, Boat boy" He asked, his voice dripping with anger. "When I asked you to keep the search parties going for a few more days, you said there was nothing you could do." Pete got to his feet and pushed past his kids, stepping down to stand right in front of Mickey. The others in the group reflexively reached for their weapons, but Mickey didn't move, just continued to watch Pete. "And when I begged you, on my knees, for permission to travel outside our world to search for them" Pete continued "You told me you couldn't grant my request. You couldn't make an exception for a distraught father just searching for his kids."

Mickey's eyes saddenend, but he did not break eye contact with Pete. "I'm sorry Pete. But I told you back then. The existence of other worlds was supposed to be a secret. Only the Keyblade masters are allowed to travel between worlds at will. I would have been breaking an ancient law if I'd let you leave like that. And maybe adhering so strictly to rules wasn't the best decision, but it was my duty at the time. And I wasn't just going to sit around and do nothing. The kids' disappearance was one of the main reasons I decided to return to training under Yen Sid. I knew I would have to get stronger in order to protect the kingdom and its citizens and find out the truth behind what was going on."

Pete gave Mickey a mistrustful look. "I didn't like your excuses then and I still don't like em." He said grumpily, turning and walking back to where PJ and Pistol were standing. He turned around and gave Mickey a haughty superior look. "I didn't care about following a bunch of stupid laws and traditions. I was going to do whatever it took to get out of that world and find my family."

"Even becoming a bad guy?" PJ asked quietly.

Pete's face flushed and he dropped his eyes with embarrassment. "I…I…" he stuttered weakly.

Max walked up to stand by his friends. "We heard a lot of rumors about what was happening in the realm of light Mr. P." He began, putting his hand on PJ's shoulder in support. "Including stuff about what you had been doing. Peej and Pistol didn't want to believe it. They were both even more desperate to get back here, so they could find out what had happened to you."

"We'd heard you joined up with those heartless monsters" Pistol began, her face becoming melancholy for the first time since the kids had appeared. "That you were helping them take over the worlds." PJ nodded in agreement, but said nothing.

Pete gritted his teeth and turned away, trying to avoid eye contact with his kids. "I…I did what I had to do ok?" He growled in quick reply. "Maleficent…she promised me the ability to travel to any world that I wanted, in exchange for helping her. I was desperate…I didn't care what I had to do or what happened to me, as long as I could keep looking for you kids. And…I was too scared to *not* obey her in the first place. Who knew what she would have done to me if I had refused!" Suddenly he turned around to face the group, his eyes once again filled with superiority. "And I tried to do things all legit like in the beginning ya know? That's why I entered that stupid goody goody citizenship contest during the Dreams festival. I knew if I won that weird thing-a-ma-bob I heard was the prize, I'd be able to travel wherever I liked. And you couldn't have stopped me, Mickey" He declared, pointing at the king.

"Hey chill out dad, its ok" PJ said, putting a hand on Pete's arm to try and calm him.

Mickey's face suddenly contorted in surprise at what Pete had just said. "The Million Dreams Award…?" Mickey stated, perplexed, as he looked at Pete. "What are you talking about Pete? The prize for the festival wasn't…"

Suddenly a great rumble shook the castle, and Pete fell to his knees, clutching his head in pain, as Maleficent's angry voice echoed in his skull. "Pete, what is taking you so long?" she growled angrily in his head. "Have you taken care of the intruders yet?"

Pete gritted his teeth in pain and sent a mental message back "Everything's A-ok Maleficent. I sent those guys packing."

"Really?" Maleficent asked, her voice full of disbelief "Well I guess you must have accomplished something, since you're still in one piece. Get back up here now!" she ordered, and suddenly the squeezing pressure in Pete's head vanished. The communication was broken.

Pete opened his eyes to see PJ and Pistol at his sides, looking at him with great concern. The rest of the group also looked on curiously. "Dad, what's wrong, are you ok?" Pistol asked, grabbing her dad's arm.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Pete said, getting to his feet. "Just a little mental message from Maleficent, zapped straight into my brain." He rubbed the side of his head with one hand "Never can get used to that feeling."

King Mickey's expression became all business. "From the sound of that rumble, and Pete's message, I'd guess whatever that witch is planning is almost ready." He looked across the group and then nodded towards the kids. "Max, PJ, Pistol. You guys take your dads back to Disney Castle on the Gummy ship. I don't want you 5 in this battle anymore. Sora and the rest of us will stay here and stop Maleficent's plans"

"But this is my fight too!" Goofy interjected. "I've been fighting the Heartless with Sora and Donald since the beginning, they need me."

"Your son needs you too." Mickey stated "You guys have a lot to catch up on; and I don't want to see anything happen to you so soon after you two have been re-united."

Max put his hand on Goofy's shoulder. "Come on dad. You know its no use arguing with the King." Goofy looked at his son and then slowly nodded.

"Don't worry Goofy, we can handle things." Sora stated cheerfully. "I'm sure we'll have more chances to fight side by side again later."

"Aw phooey!" Pistol exclaimed. "I was hoping we'd get to see some more action! And after all that training we did in the Dark realm"

PJ laughed "I'm sure they'll be chances for that later Pistol. Right now we need to get back and see Mom. She's going to have a cow." He turned to look at his dad. "Ready to go sir?" His face suddenly filled with concern "Dad…?"

Pete had turned away from the group and began to walk towards the door leading out of the room. His face contorted in a grimace of sorrow and shame. His mind raced with thoughts; of all the things he'd done since joining Maleficent, all the worlds he'd helped destroy, all the times he'd fought Sora and his allies. Seeing his children again, hearing the mention of Peg, suddenly it had all come crashing down on his head. He was a villain. A monster. Knuckling a tear away from his eye, he stated his intentions simply. "I'm not going back."

"What!" Mickey, PJ and Pistol exclaimed at the same time. Looks of surprise spread across the others in the room.

Pete shook his head sadly. "I can't go back now." He said simply "I've done too much. So many terrible things. Helped destroy countless worlds. I…don't deserve to go back."

Mickey looked at him seriously. "That's true Pete. But you can still put it all behind you now. Your kids are back. Your family can be whole again. You don't have to keep doing this, you can come back. Help us fix things!"

Pete shook his head. "You really think I can just fit right back in to my old life after all this?" He asked.

"You're right, it will be hard." Mickey conceded "But I know things can turn out alright. And you'll have your family to help you."

"That's right dad!" Pistol added, tears starting to come to her eyes "We'll be with you, and support you. Mom too!"

"Its true dad. So please…come back with us!" PJ pleaded.

"Petey-boy, you shouldn't be so stubborn." Goofy added. Pete winced at Goofy's use of his old nickname, feeling another stab in his heart. "We all want you back. We care about you."

Pete gritted his teeth, trying to push back the raging emotions he felt. He reached out a hand and clenched his fist. Wisps of darkness appeared around him, and Heartless slowly began to emerge. "My heart is darkness." He stated sadly, "There isn't any light left. I can't go back to the side of Light. It's too late for me. Get out of here. The next time we meet we'll be enemies."

"No!" Pistol shouted, tears falling from her eyes. "I don't believe what you said, Dad!"

"You can't leave us!" PJ exclaimed, "Not after all we went through to get back here. We don't care about what happened in the past, we just want you with us now!"

"Pete, please listen to them" Sora suddenly piped up, walking to the front of the group to stand with PJ and Pistol. "All of us…" he continued, glancing around at Donald and Goofy "We were all searching for someone when we started these journeys. I was searching for Riku and Kairi, Goofy and Donald for the King. And you were searching too. All this time, and now you've finally found who you were looking for. So now are you just going to give up?"

Pete growled in anger and turned to look back at Sora. "I don't need a lecture from you pipsqueak!"

"Well maybe you do." Sora countered. "Just because you chose darkness once doesn't mean you'll be its servant forever. Riku was able to change, and I know you could again too!"

Pete's heart was torn, but he pushed his emotions back with all the force he could. He had made his decision, it was too late. He clenched his fists and dozens more heartless began to appear all over the room. "PJ, Pistol, get out of here now!" he growled angrily, raising his voice "Go back to your mom and forget everything that's happened. And don't try to follow me!" With that said, he sprinted for the exit and the Heartless he had summoned attacked.

"DAD, NO!" PJ and Pistol called at the same time as they both tried to run forward chasing after Pete. Sora grabbed PJ and Max grabbed Pistol, both of them struggling to hold the distraught kids back. Pete didn't even look back at the sound of his children's voices. Leon, Cloud, and the rest o the group sprang into action to defend from the attacking heartless. King Mickey sliced through 4 heartless at once and then somersaulted over to where Sora and the kids were standing.

"Max, you take PJ and Pistol back home. We'll handle this situation." Mickey stated, before turning his eyes to Pete's children "I promise we'll do whatever we can to get your father back to Disney Castle. Don't worry."

Max looked at the King and then shook his head "With all due respect your majesty; there's no way we're leaving now."

"Yeah" PJ stated, hugging his crying sister to his side "We're not going anywhere without Dad."

King Mickey looked at them disapprovingly "I don't want you kids getting hurt. Pete would never forgive me."

"Majesty, I think you should let them come." Sora added in, smiling at the kids. "They fought toe to toe with me just a while go and held there own. I don't think you have to worry about them." His face turned serious. "And maybe they could still change Pete's mind"

Mickey sighed in resignation. "I guess there's no arguing with you guys. Alright." He turned and began walking towards the exit. "Something Pete said bothered me. I think there may be some elements to this situation that even he doesn't realize." He turned back and addressed the entire group, who had just finished defeating all the Heartless reinforcements. "All right guys. Lets go defeat Maleficent, and rescue Pete, whether he really wants it or not!"

- 4 -

Pete tried to concentrate on the task at hand, helping Maleficent funnel dark energy into the amplifier at the top of the castle, but his mind just couldn't stay focused. He kept thinking about his kids and wife. When PJ and Pistol had appeared in front of him, he had been overjoyed; after all this time he finally knew that his loved ones were alive and safe. His goal had finally been reached. Now he had to let them go. He had always known that he wouldn't be returning from his deal with Maleficent, there was no way he could take such a decision back. No way he could be forgiven or atone for what he did. He had been fine with that, All he had wanted was to find his children safe and sound and send them home; and he would be the worst villain in the world to see that goal met, no matter what fate that ultimately brought him, whether it was dieing at the hands of the good guys or living in Maleficent's world of darkness. But seeing them again…his resolve had wavered. And they had been in the Realm of Darkness the whole time, a place he had never thought to look and couldn't have if he had wanted to. He had spent over a decade serving Maleficent, searching the worlds, and had never even come close. His choice to join the darkness had resulted in nothing at all. Now what was the point?

"Pete!" Maleficent's angry voice cut through his thoughts, startling him. "You're not helping. Concentrate harder!" She ordered angrily.

"Yes Maleficent, Sorry"" Pete replied meekly, and turned his attention back to the amplifier, trying to push the stressful thoughts away. He had a job to do and he might as well do it. There was no other alternative.

"When this device is ready, I will be able to send out and command my Heartless army in as many worlds as I wish all at once!" Maleficent gloated triumphantly. "No one will be able to stop me!"

"Guess again you witch!"

Maleficent and Pete both spun around in surprise to see Sora and the gang barging into the chamber through the far door. "Your evil plot ends now!" declared King Mickey, pointing his Keyblade at the Witch.

Maleficent turned her seething gaze to Pete "So you took care of them did you?" she asked sarcastically, her voice dripping with suppressed rage.

Pete flinched back from her gaze, babbling in fear "I…I…I thought…" suddenly he spotted PJ and Pistol in the crowd and his heart sank. They hadn't gone back!

"Don't just stand there you fool, take care of them somehow" Maleficent ordered, shoving Pete towards them with the tip of her staff. As soon as Pete was pushed off the platform where the device stood, a green glowing barrier appeared, blocking off Maleficent and the device from the rest of the room. "That should keep you out" Maleficent stated, smiling sinisterly at the good guys. "Now…Heartless take care of them!"

Around the room Heartless began to emerge, larger and stronger ones than the kind Pete could control. The warriors leapt into action, fending of the heartless horde and launching attacks at Maleficent's magic barrier, which didn't seem damaged at all. Pete summoned his own heartless, but his mind was in turmoil and the heartless he commanded moved sluggishly and were easily cut apart by Mickey and Sora's keyblades.

PJ and Pistol dodged through the crowd of attacking Heartless and approached their father. "Dad please! Don't do this!" Pistol pleaded, tears in her eyes. "Come back home with us!"

Pete scowled angrily at the two of them. "I told you two to get out of here!" he yelled at them. "This is who I am now. I am not coming back!"

"If this is really who you are Dad, then attack us!" PJ said, staring at his dad in the eye. "We're your enemies aren't we?"

"Alright then…" Pete said slowly. Another row of heartless spawned in front of Pete and began advancing on the kids. For a moment PJ and Pistol's faces fell, shocked at their father's seeming ease at attacking them, and then the heartless stopped only a few feet away. "Get out or I'll tell them to attack for real." Pete said, his face betraying the emotional pain he was holding back.

PJ shook his head and stepped closer to the heartless. "I don't think you will dad. You can't. It's not in you. And it just shows that you shouldn't be here!"

"Pete, what is going on here?" Maleficent asked coldly, turning her attention away from the device. She stared at PJ and Pistol for a moment before clarity donned in her eyes. "Ah I see. So this is why you've been so distracted since returning." She smiled at the children, causing them to take a step back. "Pete, you never introduced me to your family before." She stated, her voice dripping with evil amusement. "It's nice to meet you children." She stated, grinning wider, showing her teeth.

"The feelings aren't mutual you crazy witch!" Pistol yelled back at her. "We're here to stop you and take our daddy home!"

"Yeah…" PJ added, but with less confidence than his sister "We're going to free him from your control!"

Maleficent laughed heartily. "Child you are highly amusing!" she stated "But you are very mistaken. I do not control Pete at all. He chose to join me, of his own free will. Isn't that right Pete?"

Pete looked at Maleficent and then his expression hardened and he nodded. "Yeah, dats right!" he said and turned back to his kids. "I chose this."

"Pete is a denizen of darkness, one with the power to control the Heartless" Maleficent continued, smiling condescendingly at the kids "Your pitiful pleas cannot pierce through to his heart."

"Yeah, that's right. So why don't you just give up and go home?" Pete stated, glaring at PJ and Pistol. The heartless who had halted their advance a moment ago, began to approach PJ and Pistol again.

Mickey suddenly leapt over the row of heartless, slashing downward with his keyblade in mid air and slicing through the creatures like butter. He landed right in front of Pete, and gave him a determined look. "You can't listen to her Pete." The king said forcefully, pointing his blade at the witch. "You're being manipulated; you have been since the beginning!"

Pete glared at the king "What are you talking about Boat-boy? No one tricked me into anything. I made this choice on my own."

"You may think you did" the king continued, "But things were being set up from the start, I'm sure of it."

"Pete, don't listen to that sniveling excuse for a king, hurry up and destroy them all!" Shouted Maleficent, angry green fire flaming up around her.

Pete nodded back at Maleficent and then took at swing at Mickey. The king dodged easily with a backwards leap, landing back behind PJ and Pistol. More heartless spawned in and lunged towards the three of them. PJ and Pistol readied their weapons to fend of the new arrivals.

"Pete call these things off and listen to me for a second!" Mickey pleaded, slicing through another heartless. "Earlier you said that you entered the Million Dreams Festival so you could get the ability to travel to different worlds…"

"Yeah, so what?" Pete asked angrily, launching an energy ball straight at the king. "I did it because you refused to help me!"

Mickey leapt over the energy ball and landed to Pete's side. "I understand how you feel Pete and why you did it. I don't blame you. Anyone might have done the same thing. But Pete…" Mickey looked at Pete with a serious expression, willing him to listen. "The truth is….the Star Shard *wasn't* the prize for the festival!"

Pete faltered in mid-attack, the dark energy ball he had been preparing fizzling in his hand. A look of dumbstruck surprise plastered his face. "Wh…what are you talking about…"

"Exactly what I said" the King replied. "The Star Shard was not the prize for the Million Dreams Festival. It couldn't have been, because I had it with me the whole time. Its how I was able to travel to Yen Sid's tower for my training, and how I aided Ven and Aqua." The king gave Pete another serious look. "I don't know who convinced you that the Star Shard was the prize for the festival, but whoever it was lied to you. Maybe even did it to push you into this very situation!"

Pete starred at the king, dumbstruck, a feeling of terrible horror creeping into him. His mind raced, remembering the days before the festival, remembering the mysterious man he'd overheard talking in the corner of Disney Town's seediest pub. Talking about the festival. _"Its amazing that they're just giving away something so valuable as a prize in some festival. An item with the ability to take the owner to any world they would like. Such power…."_ Pete's ears had perked up upon hearing that info, and he desperately latched onto that hope. Win the Dream Festival at any price, and gain what he had been wanting for so long. He hadn't thought to question what that mysterious bald man had been saying, in his desperation to find his children he just threw himself head on into his strategy for winning the prize. But now…

The heartless Pete was controlling slowed down, their movements becoming erratic. Maleficent observed this with growing annoyance and then turned her glare to Pete. "Get a hold of yourself, you idiot! Don't let that rat's manipulative words fool you." She hissed.

"Don't listen to her!" Mickey pleaded "She was probably behind it from the start. Her or one of her allies."

Pete looked back and forth between Maleficent and Mickey, his mind churning with turmoil and indecision. Maleficent glared at Pete. "And what if I did have something to do with the false information you received? In the end, it was still your choice to accept my offer. I did not force your hand at that." She explained.

"But…but…" Pete stuttered.

"Yeah right, she didn't force you" Pistol stated sarcastically "You'd been banished because of what you did based on that false information. You were in a desperate situation!"

"Dad, come back to us! You don't have to be that witch's servant anymore!" PJ shouted, extending a hand towards his father.

Pete looked at children, and then around at the heartless that filled the room, and back at Maleficent, his master. His heart felt like it was being ripped in two. He couldn't go back, he couldn't be forgiven! But…had he just been used right from the start?

Maleficent's rage boiled over. "Stop listening to them. You know the truth in your heart! You are a creature of darkness, my loyal servant. That is your nature, you cannot deny it"

Pete just looked more confused and torn. "Maybe…I don't know…!" he muttered, shaking his head.

Maleficent gave Pete her best death glare and then turned her eyes towards PJ and Pistol. "If you cannot clear your mind and think straight…then I will just have to eliminate the source of your confusion for you." She smiled evilly "Once they're gone, I'm sure you will realize the truth once more."

The end of Maleficent's staff glowed bright green, and a large flaming ball of green light formed at the end. Pete's eyes widened in shock as he realized what Maleficent was about to do. "NOOOOOOO!" he shouted desperately, but it was too late. The witch swung her staff in a downward arc and the ball of energy was launched straight towards PJ and Pistol. The two kids froze, unable to do anything to get out of the way. Mickey turned to try and get to the kids, to block or deflect the attack somehow, but he was too far away to get there in time. Pete watched Maleficent's attack as if everything was in slow motion. His entire life seemed to flash before his eyes. In that moment all his doubt and hesitation evaporated, and he moved.

Everybody in the room shielded their eyes as the projectile made contact, sending off an incredible green glare. PJ and Pistol covered their eyes, expecting to feel the projectile explode into them at any second. After a few moments, they raised their heads, squinting through the green glare to see what was happening. Pete was standing only a few feet in front of them, holding back the glowing green ball with both hands. His face was contorted in extreme concentration, sweat running down his forehead. He was using all his strength to keep the projectile at bay, but they could see his feet slowly sliding across the floor towards them. They could hear the gloves on Pete's hands start to sizzle as the energy pushed closer.

"Pete, you would dare betray me!" Maleficent snarled angrily.

Pete gritted his teeth and glared back at the Witch. "I…don't care about what happens to this world, or any of the worlds…" he stated, struggling to speak and continue to hold Maleficent's projectile at the same time "And I don't care what happens to me…But I am not going to stand by and let anything happen to my kids while I can help it!" He grunted and pushed the energy ball forward, towards Maleficent's barrier.

"You go Pete!" Sora shouted from across the room, slicing two heartless in half at the same time.

"I knew you'd come around Petey-boy!" Goofy added.

"Dad…" PJ said, his voice full of emotion. He felt a tear of relief flow down the side of his face, and turned to see that Pistol was crying too.

"You pitiful fool." Maleficent stated coldly. Her staff glowed green again, and the energy ball suddenly began pushing back harder, nearly knocking Pete over. He managed to keep his feet, barely, and through all his strength into holding the projectile back.

"Kids…I think you might want to get back…" Pete grunted over his shoulder.

Pistol nodded and wiped a tear from her eye. "Thanks dad…" PJ grabbed her shoulder and the two of them backed away till they were standing with Mickey, off to the side.

Pete turned his gaze forward and glared at his former master. "Hey Maleficent. Consider this my resignation notice." He stated coldly, before closing his eyes and summoning up 100% of his will power. He felt the dark energy course through his body, making him stronger. With great effort, Pete plunged his hands into the middle of the glowing green energy. Immediately his hands and forearms were searing with intense pain and heat. He ground his teeth to keep from yelling and drove his hands deeper into the core of the energy ball.

Maleficent's eyes widened. "No you fool! If you do that…!" she cried out in panic, raising her staff to launch another attack.

Pete smiled at Maleficent. At that moment, he injected his dark energy straight into the core of the projectile, detonating it.

*KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

It felt like he had smacked face first into a brick wall at 100 MPH. Something sliced into his face and he felt a splash of warmth on his skin, and then vaguely sensed that he was flying through the air. Pete's mind flexed out and a swarm of heartless materialized on the stone wall of the castle, an instant before he struck the wall full force. The presence of the heartless was the only thing that stopped Pete's spine from shattering upon impact. The wall caved in with the force of the impact, leaving Pete imbedded in the crater.

Around the room, everyone shielded their eyes and faces as debris and shrapnel ricochet around the room. Thick smoke clouds the air, obscuring everyone's vision. "Is everyone alright?" King Mickey shouted, trying to squint through the thick smoke.

"I hope so" Sora called back from across the room. "Goofy, Donald and I are ok at least."

Slowly the smoke began to clear away, and almost everyone immediately caught on to what had changed.

"Maleficent's barrier is gone!" Donald shouted in excitement.

"The explosion must have knocked it out!" Goofy added.

"DAD!" PJ and Pistol shouted together.

Everyone turned to look and spotted Pete where he had been smashed against the wall. He was a complete mess. The armor he was wearing was blackened and melted in many different places. The gloves on his hands had been complete burned away, and all the exposed skin on his hands and arms and face was burned red and blistered in places. The two smallest fingers on his right hand were missing. The left side of Pete's face was covered in blood from a deep slash that ran from just above his left eyebrow down to his cheek; the eye socket in the middle was mangled, the eyelid and eye underneath pushed grotesquely to the side, and oozing blood.

At the sound of his children's voices, Pete's good eye slowly opened and he looked dazedly around the room. His whole body was a mass of incredible pain; it didn't even feel like a real body anymore, just a big throbbing blob. He was vaguely aware that he could only see a mass of red on his left side. Slowly, he grabbed the edges of the crater he was smashed into and pulled himself into a standing position. Pain flared up and down his arms and in his burned hands and for a second the world grayed out. He heard the voices of his kids and the others calling, but they were like voices heard from deep underwater. His head spun, and he felt nauseated, but after a moment things began to slowly come back into focus. He took a slow shaky step forward with his right foot; as soon as the foot came down and he put his weight on it, the leg suddenly bent to the side at a sickening angle, and Pete crashed to his knees. Unbelievable pain flared through his leg and up into his body; Pete felt everything sliding away from him. His right eye glazed over, and he collapsed face first onto the stone floor.

Pistol let out a loud inarticulate cry as she ran towards her father, followed by PJ, and then Max. Everyone else in the room seemed too shocked to move.

Maleficent glared in Pete's direction, then cast her eyes around at the others. "That cretin…I can't believe he did this. Turning against me, destroying my barrier…" She slammed the end of her staff onto the ground. More Heartless began to materialize. "Get them my minions!" She roared. At the appearance of more Heartless, everyone suddenly sprang back into action, with Mickey and Sora in the lead.

Pistol reached her dad first, falling to her knees near his head, her eyes streaming tears. "Dad…Dad…" was all she could articulate. PJ dropped to his knees beside her and grabbed Pete's shoulders, trying to turn him over. A moment later Max was by his side, assisting him, and together the two boys turned Pete over onto his back.

Seeing his father so beat up, all because he protected them, stabbed PJ straight to his heart, and tears welled up in his eyes as well. "Dad…please wake up." He pleaded, gently grabbing his father's burned hand in his own.

Pete groaned and stirred slightly. His breathing sounded ragged and weak. After a moment his good right eye slowly opened again, and he starred up at his children. "PJ…Pistol…" he spoke, his voice coming out at barely above a whisper. "You're…alright…"

"Yeah Dad, we're fine!" PJ said, smiling through his tears and gently squeezing Pete's hand. "Not sure about you though."

"Yeah…" Pete replied closing his eye, and letting out a small groan "hurts…everywhere…"

"Dad we're going to get you out of here and get you some help" Pistol added vehemently.

Pete coughed and opened his eye again. "You…gotta…get out of…here" he strained out.

"NO! Not without you!" Pistol exclaimed.

Max nodded and put a hand on PJ's shoulder. "Yeah, there's no way any of us could leave you behind Mr. P"

Pete shook his head slowly, and then raised his right hand up towards his kids. PJ and Pistol both grabbed his hand after a moment, tears streaming down their faces. Pete smiled weakly and squeezed their hands reassuringly, as best he could. "I'm sorry…for everything…really…" Pete closed his eyes, and squeezed his kids' hands as hard as he could manage. "I…love you guys…" he stated simply. And then suddenly his hand let go and fell limp to his side.

PJ and Pistol both froze for a moment, totally in shock. Then their eyes filled with panic. "N…No!" Pistol sputtered, grabbing her father's right arm tightly "You can't go!"

PJ tried to stay as composed as possible, but inside he was on the verge of panicking. "Pistol its ok, he's probably just out. Calm down!" He said to his sister, trying to be the mature one but unable to keep the edge of panic out of his voice. He leaned forward and placed his ear on Pete's chest. His anxiety let up slightly as he heard a heartbeat, but it was irregular and weak sounding, and getting weaker with each passing second. PJ's panic rose again and he raised his head, looking at Max. "We've got to do something now, before it's too late!"

Max nodded at turned around, back towards the rest of the group. "Your majesty" He shouted "Pete's in pretty bad shape, he needs help right now!"

Mickey sliced through a heartless and leapt back into a clear spot. "Unfortunately, we've got our hands full…" He gasped between breaths. His mind raced, trying to figure out what to do…then his eyes lit up. "Merlin!" he called as he slashed away another heartless "Do you think you can lend them a hand?"

Across the room, Merlin zapped a group of heartless with a fire spell and then turned to acknowledge his King's request. "Certainly your majesty, although I'm not too sure how much I can help."

"Just try and keep him alive till we can get him back to the Gummi ship" Mickey shouted back, dodging another attack.

Merlin blasted an approaching heartless and then waved his wand, vanishing in a puff of smoke. He re-materialized next to the fallen Pete and his kids. Maleficent, who had been fully concentrating on controlling her heartless minions, noticed the wizard's reappearance out of the corner of her eye. Realizing what he was likely planning to do, her anger flared and she swung her staff towards their small group. "I think I've had to look at that traitorous vermin and his spawn long enough!" she hissed. The tip of her staff glowed green and another energy ball flew outward, towards the group.

Merlin barely had time to register the attack coming. He began to turn, raising his wand to try and defend, but realized quickly that he was going to be too late. Max, PJ, and Pistol watched frozen as a projectile flew towards them for the second time that night. Suddenly a keyblade spun through the air and intercepted the attack, blocking it at the last second. Merlin and the kids turned to see Sora standing across the room; his clothes had changed color, from their normal red, blue, and yellow to an outfit of black and silver. His face contorted with concentration and he held his right hand out towards them, controlling the movement of the keyblade he'd thrown; a second keyblade floated behind him, swinging through the air and blocking the advances of any heartless that tried to get near. Sora glanced up and glared at Maleficent. "I don't think so…" he taunted "You're not hurting anyone else today on my watch!"

PJ and friends all sighed with great relief; disaster had been averted again. "Thanks Sora!" PJ called out, receiving a smile and nod from the keyblade master.

"That was waaay too close" Pistol added.  
>"You infuriating pest!" Maleficent raged, her staff glowing green as she prepared another projectile "I am tired of you ruining my plans. But it will end tonight!"<p>

Sora smiled back at her smugly "Sorry to disappoint you…" he stated simply, and then thrust out his left hand. The second keyblade darted forward, spinning across the room to strike the projectile as if it were a baseball bat hitting a ball; the projectile flew backwards straight towards Maleficent. The witch's eyes widened in shock and she had just enough time to raise her staff in defense as the attack bore down on her. A green partly transparent shield flashed into existence around the tip of Maleficent's staff, and the energy ball struck it, sending out a shower of green and yellow sparks. The ball pushed against Maleficent's shield and then deflected off to the side…right into the amplification device! The device instantly disintegrated in an explosion of energy.

"NOOOOOOO!" roared Maleficent in tremendous rage. Green and yellow flames leapt to life all around here, and countless more heartless began to materialize around the room. "HOW DARE YOU, YOU WORM!" she screamed "I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

"Hey, it was your attack that did it. Serves you right" Sora grumbled, turning his attention to the new heartless in the area.

"You're through Maleficent, just give it up!" King Mickey warned, pointing his keyblade towards the witch. "Your barrier is gone, your device is smashed. This is the end."

Maleficent seethed at Mickey's words. "You haven't even seen half of the extent of my power, puny rat!" She declared, as more green fire and energy began to gather around her.

"Uh-oh, your majesty" Sora called, staring at the witch with worry his eyes "She could be trying to turn into her dragon form again."

"Oh great" Mickey sighed to himself, before turning and glancing over all the fighters in the group, "Alright, I think its time we go all out and wrap this up." He turned at glared at Maleficent confidently "Lets take this witch down!"

Back with PJ's group, Merlin quickly cast a protection spell around the huddle group and then finally turned his attention to Pete. He knelt down at Pete's side, next to PJ, and cupped his ear to Pete's chest, listening to his steadily worsening heartbeat. "Oh my, this is bad." The wizard stated matter-of-factly.

PJ and Pistol's faces became more distressed. "We need to do something quick!" PJ responded, grabbing the wizard's robe in his hand.

"I know, I know. Please stay calm young man" Merlin said gently, removing PJ's hand from his sleeve. "I think I can help stabilize him until we can get him back to the Gummi ship, but it could be dangerous. I'm not exactly a medical expert or anything…"

"Well, whatever it is, you should probably try it now." Max stated.

"Yes, yes, your right" Merlin said, nodding. He stretched out his right arm and poked the tip of his wand onto Pete's chest, right where his heart was. "Thunder!" he called out in a commanding voice. A bright flash of electricity coursed down the wand and straight into Pete's body, causing it to jerk upwards slightly, before falling back down to the floor.

Pistol and PJ both looked at Merlin in surprise and horror. "What…what are you…" Pistol sputtered, but PJ's face suddenly changed as he caught on.

"It's ok Pistol, this should work!" PJ said, trying to calm her down.

"I'm trying to jog his heart back into a normal healthy heartbeat rate." Merlin explained "Young man, check and see if there's been any change!"

PJ nodded and put his head back on his father's chest. After a moment he rose up and shook his head. Merlin's face fell, then he placed the tip of his wand back on Pete's chest "Thundara!" he called out. A larger brighter flash of lighting coursed through the wand, zapping straight into Pete's chest.

PJ winced at the sight of the lightning zapping through his dad's body, but as soon as it was gone he dropped to his knees again and pressed his ear to Pete's chest. After a second, he looked up at Merlin with a look of panic. It wasn't working! Merlin nodded, and his face became even more serious. "Alright. No holding back this time…" he stated, placing his wand on Pete's chest one more time. "Thundaga!" He commanded, putting all his power into the spell. A huge burst of lighting flowed down the wand straight into Pete's heart; the flash was so bright that Max, PJ, and Pistol had to shield their eyes and jump back to avoid any splash energy from the spell. Pete's body tensed all over and arched up as the electric energy blasted through it. It seemed to the kids like the spell lasted forever, then finally it ended and Pete's body slumped back, the metal on his armor sparking and glowing a faint blue from the energy.

PJ jumped forward to listen again, not even feeling the static shocks he received as he touched Pete's armor. He listened for much longer than he had the previous two times, and when he looked up again at Merlin and Max, his eyes were filled with tears of relief. "It sounds normal!" He stated, his voice cracking with emotion. "Still kind of weak, but normal." He turned to his sister and hugged her in relief; Pistol hugged him back, tears of relief in her own eyes.

Merlin let out a sigh, and then smiled. "Glad it finally worked." He said. He then raised his wand and waved it over Pete's body. "Curaga!" he commanded. A gentle glowing green mist enveloped Pete's body for a few moments, before dissipating. "That should help keep him stable for now, although it won't be nearly enough to heal this much damage."

Suddenly behind them, a huge ear-drum shattering explosion shook the room. The kids looked up to see the far side of the room, where Maleficent and her device had been earlier, completely engulfed in a wall of green and yellow flames, with large craters and holes blasted into the stone wall and floor behind the flames. Distant rumbles answered the first explosion, and the castle began to vibrate ominously. "Uh Oh" King Mickey stated "That doesn't feel right at all".

"I think the castle might by preparing to collapse." Goofy explained matter-of-factly.

"No kidding" Donald replied sarcastically, shaking his head.

Sora swung his keyblade into the ground in irritation. "That darn Maleficent; we almost had her! Always cutting and running"

"We'll have other chances to deal with her again in the future" Mickey stated, before turning and speaking in a loud commanding voice to the whole group. "Alright everybody, lets get out of here before this place buries us." He turned his head and nodded towards Pete's unconscious body. "Cloud, Leon, you two help get Pete."

The two swordsmen nodded to the King and ran across the room. Together with Merlin and the kids, they were able to hoist Pete's body up into a carrying position. And together, the group fled the collapsing castle.

-5-

The awkward silence that filled the small waiting room of the Disney Town hospital was almost too much for Sora to bear; it seemed like they had been here for hours with no news at all. The young keyblade master looked around the room at the rest of his companions, all of them looking equally miserable and just about ready to lose it. PJ paced back and forth across the room, his gaze fixed on the floor, and Pistol sat in the corner following his course back and forth with her eyes. Goofy and Max sat together in the chairs across from Sora, talking quietly; probably catching up on events, the keyblade master figured. King Mickey sat a few chairs down, looking very solemn and worried. Donald had actually become so anxious and antsy that he'd stomped out of the room as was now somewhere down the hall; Sora was starting to think he had had the right idea.

They had managed to get everyone back to the Gummi ship safely, and just in time to avoid the castle collapsing on them before they jumped back into the Lanes Between. But as soon as Merlin and the kids had gotten Pete secured in the Gummi Ship's tiny medical bay, the wizard had discovered some kind of nasty poisonous substance had infected Pete, and his condition was starting to decline. Merlin had done all he could with his magic to help Pete until Chip and Dale were able to pilot the ship back to Disney Town and straight to the local hospital. And here they were now, who knows how many hours later. The tension in the room was so thick it was oppressive, and Sora was starting to feel like maybe he and Donald were out of place to begin with, considering he wasn't family or something. He was just about to leave and see if he could find Donald, when the doors to the room burst open and a tall woman entered the room, looking worried and out of breath.

She was tall and slender, with pale skin and a head of red/brown hair cropped short, hair almost the same shade as Pistol's. PJ and Pistol both looked up as the woman entered the room, and their faces lit up with recognition.

"Mom!" They both shouted at the same time, running across the room to the woman, who swept them both up into a hug, tears streaming down her face.

"PJ…Pistol. It's so good to finally see you." She said, squeezing them both tightly.

"Yeah, sorry we couldn't come home as soon as we got back." PJ replied quietly, brushing a tear off his cheek.

"We had some pretty crazy stuff going on" Pistol added.

"Glad to see you could make it, Peg" King Mickey said as he walked towards the group.

"Of course I was going to come!" Peg replied, before pulling back away from her kids, looking over each of them. "I can't believe my eyes. You've been gone for so long, and yet, you still look almost the same."

PJ nodded blushed a little with embarrassment. "Yeah, that's cause we kind of are. Time doesn't work the same where we were stuck. We really haven't aged that much, at least according to the King."

"Yeah!" Pistol added "We were just as shocked as anybody to find out exactly how long we'd been gone on this side."

Sora approached the group. "So, you're Pistol and PJ's Mom?" He asked politely, smiling.

"Yeah that's me." Peg replied, brushing tears away from her face, and trying to smile politely. "And I know you. You're the Keyblade Master Sora. Everyone in this town has heard of your exploits and Goofy talks about you too."

Sora shot an amused look toward Goofy. "He does, does he? Only good things I hope"

"Of course." Goofy replied, smiling as he got up with Max and joined the group.

"You're a sight for sore eyes too Max" Peg said, looking the boy up and down "If PJ and Pistol had to be lost with anyone I'm glad it was you."  
>"Thanks, Mrs. P" Max replied, blushing slightly.<p>

"He wasn't that big a help" Pistol added jokingly "PJ and I could have handled things fine without him."

"Hey!" Max said, laughing "Well then at least I wouldn't have had to look at your face every day"

"Yeah Pistol" PJ added, "let's not forget which of us were the Knights in training, and which of us was the tag-along who wouldn't go home, no matter how many times we told her."

"Alright alright, you win." Pistol exclaimed, throwing her hands up. Everyone laughed, and the release of tension was a welcome feeling. A feeling that was all to brief.

Peg's laugh died down and she wiped her eyes. "Your father is here too, right?" The tone of her voice had changed, becoming serious, but with an icy undertone to it.

Everyone quickly became somber again, the levity of the moment before totally gone. PJ cast his eyes towards the floor and replied nervously "Yeah…He's here…"

"Humph" Peg grunted, narrowing her eyes. "So then where is he hiding? Probably too scared to be a man and face me. Don't blame him"

Pistol suddenly glared angrily at her mother. "How could you say that!" she cried, a tear falling from one eye, "We don't even know yet if he's going to be ok…".

Peg's face visibly paled and she looked around the room, as if aware of where she was for the first time. She gasped and her hand rose to her mouth. "Oh my…He's…". PJ nodded.

Max glared in irritation at his father. "Dad, didn't you explain to her the situation when you called earlier?"

"Gawrsh, no" Goofy said, scratching his head "I didn't think there was time. I just told her she should come down here because her whole family was back and waiting to see her."

"Goofy!" Sora and King Mickey explained at the same time, sighing in exasperation.

Peg looked from PJ to Pistol, her earlier anger replaced with obvious worry. "So what happened, tell me!"

"Dad got hurt in the battle. That's pretty much the gist of it" Pistol replied solemnly.

"It happened…when he was protecting us." PJ added.

"They're right" King Mickey began. "Your husband bravely risked his life to protect them. And his actions also ended up helping us complete the mission too."

Peg's face was a mix of emotions. She sniffed and wiped her eyes with one hand. "So how long has it been since…you got him here?"

King Mickey prepared to answer her question when the door between the reception room and the rest of the hospital opened up and a doctor walked in, holding a clipboard and looking very serious. As soon as he spotted the group, he headed straight for them. The group turned as he arrived, and for a moment there was a period of awkward silence. Palpable anxiety filled the room. Finally Goofy spoke up. "So, what's the news?" He asked, with hesitation.

The doctor looked at each of them in turn and then finally responded. His solemn face broke into a gentle smile. "The patient is stable. He's going to be fine."

Relief broke out across all of their faces, and PJ and Pistol both let out a whoop of joy. Even Sora visibly relaxed, feeling the tension drain away. "What's the extent of the damage doc?" King Mickey asked.

A bit of the seriousness returned to the doctor's face as he looked down at his clipboard and read from it. "He suffered serious burns over a large part of his body, especially his hands and face. Broke almost all of his ribs, and his left arm. Suffered quit a few lacerations. Lost two fingers on his right hand…" He flipped the page of the chart over. "Those injuries are relatively minor though and will all heal fully, with our advanced treatments so you shouldn't worry…however…".

Worry began to creep back into the faces of the group. "However what?" Peg asked nervously.

The doctor looked at the group seriously and then continued. "His right leg was completely shattered, and a strong infection had set into the bone there. It was probably an effect of the dark magic that did the damage in the first place. It was fortuitous that you medic was able to stave off the infection from spreading any farther, your majesty." He said, addressing Mickey specifically.

The king nodded and smiled "It would have been a disaster without Merlin there."

"Yes I'm sure." The doctor said, and then continued. "Anyway, we were unable to cleanse the infection, as it had spread too deep into the bone structure in the leg. I'm afraid…we were forced to amputate from below the knee."

Pistol gasped, and PJ and Peg both paled slightly, but said nothing. The doctor looked down at his chart, and then continued. "Also, we were unable to save his left eye. The damage to the eye itself and the socket was too extensive. I'm sorry."

Peg paled even more, and staged a bit on her feet. The doctor looked at her with concern. "Are you alright Mrs.? Do you need some water?"

Peg shook her head firmly. "No, I'm fine" she said, somewhat unsteadily. "This is just my first time hearing about this."

Goofy looked at the doctor seriously. "Can we see him?" He asked.

The doctor thought for a minute, and then very reluctantly nodded. "He should be conscious by now. Normally I would not allow so many people at once in, but since the King is with you…Just don't do anything that would strain him…"

"Of course we won't" The king replied, and everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Alright then" the doctor said, sighing as he turned back towards the door he had entered through. "Follow me please."

- 6 -

They entered the room slowly, with an air of solemnity that would not be out of place in a funeral home. Pete was lying in the bed to their left as they entered. An IV tube was hooked to his right arm just below the elbow, and several monitors beeped and displayed glowing green numbers beside the bed. Bandages covered most of his exposed forearms and hands and chest area; his left arm had already been incased in a cast. A large gauze pad covered his left eye socket, held in place by another bandage wound around his forehead. The shape of Pete's lower body and legs could be seen under the bed sheet, and Sora winced briefly as he noticed that the shape of the right leg ended higher up than the left.

PJ, Pistol, and Peg moved quickly to the front of the group and stopped at the side of the bed. "Dad…" Pistol asked tentatively in quit voice.

Pete's eye slowly opened. For a moment it remained unfocused, and then he groggily turned his head to the left to see his family. "Kids…" he began, his voice very quit but still obviously showing his relief to see his children again. He looked around the room, seeing all the familiar faces. "I'm alive?" he asked, unbelievingly. PJ and Pistol nodded to him and smiled. Just then Pete noticed the 3rd person standing behind the children. His eye rose slowly and met Peg's face. "…Peg." His voice rang with surprise and emotion, and he suddenly tried to sit up, a grimace of pain crossing his face as he moved his damaged body.

The doctor was instantly bed side, gently pushing Pete back down into a laying position. "Don't move around like that Mr. Pete. You need to stay calm." He said, before looking up and casting his eyes across everyone in the room, giving them a disapproving look. "Maybe I shouldn't have let you all come in like this".

"No, its fine. I'm alright." Pete replied quickly trying to reassure the doctor. "I'll stay still now…believe me." He continued, wincing in pain as he allowed his body to settle back down fully. The doctor looked at him with disbelief, and then sighed and stepped back, standing at a neutral distance between the bed and the door. Pete turned his head to look back at his wife. "Peg…" he said again, looking as if he couldn't really believe she was there.

"Yeah, it's me. Been awhile." Peg said, crossing her arms. Her face was almost impossible to read.

Pete kept eye contact with her for a few moments and then broke away, looking down at his chest, feelings of shame and remorse flowing into him, squeezing his chest like a vice. "I…I'm sorry…" he said simply, unable to bring himself to look back at her. "I'm sorry." He said again, with a bit more conviction this time.

"Oh, don't give me that!" Peg declared angrily, causing everyone else in the room to jump. Pete raised his head and looked at Peg again, startled to see that her eyes were starting to tear over. She looked at him angrily, wiping a tear from the corner of one eye as she continued. "You put me through hell, you know that? You go off one day to campaign for that stupid festival prize and then I hear you've been banished by the queen for causing trouble, and I'm thinking "not surprised at all, serves him right", but then you disappear from the prison dimension, and I don't hear anything at all for years, except rumors, rumors that your helping the bad guys, and I just can't believe it…" She was crying now, her slowly losing the edge of anger it had had previously. "And I have to hear from Goofy that it's true, that you really are working for the Heartless, doing who knows what, and I…" PJ and Pistol both tried to take her hand, to comfort her, but she pulled her hands away, shaking her head and wiping her eyes with both hands, before turning her gaze on her husband again. "The kids were gone, and then you left too. I was so lonely, and so worried. I couldn't stand it. And now this. You and the kids just show up out of the blue, like nothing every happened and I…"

Suddenly Peg moved towards the bed, leaning in towards Pete. Pete shrank back, closing his eyes, expecting to feel her hit him at any moment. Instead, he was shocked to feel her arms around him, pulling into a sitting position. The doctor tried to move towards the bed, but King Mickey put a gentle hand on his arm, stopping him. Pete winced at the pain in his left arm and chest as he sat up, but it quickly faded into the background as he turned his attention to Peg. She had her arms around his torso and her head buried in his shoulder, crying. "I was so worried" she sobbed. "I missed you all so much. Some days I didn't even think I would be able to go on. Why…why did you leave? I needed you. Why?"

Pete's heart felt like it was about to burst with regret and shame. Tears welled up in his own eye and he awkwardly put his right arm around Peg's shoulder, pulling her closer to him, closing his eye and letting the feel and smell of her wash over him. "I'm sorry." He said again, softly, holding her close, unconscious of the dull pain from his wounds. "I'm so sorry. I thought I was doing what needed to be done. But I didn't accomplish anything…except causing trouble. Like an idiot I let myself be used, and for nothing. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Sora turned away, blushing, embarrassed at seeing this intimate moment, and feeling as out of place as ever. King Mickey and the doctor respectfully averted their eyes as well. After a moment, Peg pulled away from Pete slightly. "I love you." She said. Holding his face gently in both hands, she kissed him on the lips. Pete closed his eye, returning her passion as he lifted his right hand and let it rest in her hair. Pistol made a disgusted gagging sound, causing PJ and Max to both elbow her in annoyance.

Soon the kiss broke, and Peg stepped back from the bed, her face flushed, smiling and wiping the last tears from her eyes. Pete looked around at the rest of the people in the room, his own face blushing red. After a second the color began to drain from his face and he looked down at his feet again. "Goofy, Majesty, Sora…I'm sorry. Really. For everything. For all the problems I caused you, for all the damage I inflicted on the worlds while working for the heartless." He summoned up the courage to raise his eyes and look at King Mickey. "I know there's nothing I can do to make up for my crimes. I'm ready for whatever judgment you pass on me. I'm just glad I could see my family again first." He turned his head to lovingly look at his kids and wife. Peg stepped forward and put a hand on Pete's shoulder, and he raised his right hand to cover hers.

Everyone waited for Mickey to respond. The king looked like he was contemplating something very seriously, then he looked up and smiled. "How about I see you at the castle at the usual time? After you've recovered of course."

Everyone except Sora looked at the king in surprise. But no one was more dumbstruck than Pete himself. "Wh…wha… what do you mean?" He stammered.

Mickey laughed, "Well, you were a castle guard, remember?"

Pete still looked dumbstruck. "You mean…you're just giving me my old job back?

Mickey nodded "Well, yeah. You may have made some horrible choices, but that's in the past now, and I know your genuinely sorry. So it's all forgotten as far as I'm concerned." His face became a bit more serious as he continued "I will admit it will probably be a long time before you can regain the trust of everyone else in the castle, and you'll have to be on some kind of official "probation" in the court's eyes for a while. But you have your family, and me and your friends. We'll all be able to support you!"

"That's right Petey-boy" Goofy added, "We'll always stick by you. Just like we did up till now."

"Yeah Dad" Pistol added, walking up beside her mom. "We're by your side."

"Definitely" PJ added, smiling.

Sora suddenly walked forward, to the left side of the bed, opposite Peg and the kids, and looked at Pete. Pete looked at the boy with a bit of apprehension, until Sora he stuck out his hand and smiled. "We can be friends too right?" he asked.

Pete looked at the hand for a moment, surprised and not really sure how to react, and then hesitantly reached out his right hand. Sora took his bandaged hand gently, being careful not to touch the spot where his two fingers were missing, and shook it. Sora smiled wider and stepped back. "This is great. One less enemy and a new friend."

Pete looked around at the group again, his heart filling with emotion. A tear welled up in his eye and rolled down his cheek. He shut his eye tight and bowed his head, his voice quavering with emotion. "Majesty…everybody…thank you…" He opened his eye and looked up again. "I never though I'd be able to return to my family again. That I could ever be forgiven. But now…" He looked straight at King Mickey. "Thank you."

The King smiled. "No problem, Pete."

Pete sighed, and then gingerly touched the bandage on the left side of his face. "I guess I'm really going to be alright after all. More or less." He finished, looking down at his right side where his leg should be.

Pistol patted her father reassuringly on the arm. "Don't worry dad, its not that bad. In fact, it's actually kind of cool, depending on how you think about it. Now you can have an eye patch and a wooden leg, just like a pirate!"

"Yeah dad." PJ added, trying to lighten the mood. "We could call you Peg-Leg Pete"

"Now now, kids, don't tease." Peg scolded, before look at Pete "Just be thankful that things weren't even worse."

"Yeah" Pete responded, although he didn't look very convinced.

Goofy looked at his old friend with concern, and then laughed. "Ya know, as soon as Petey's out of the hospital, we should celebrate with a backyard barbeque." He said with enthusiasm. "I can't remember the last time we had a cook out."

"That sounds great!" Max chimed in, rubbing his stomach. "You always did grill the best burgers Mr. P."

Pete laughed "So in order to celebrate me being back, you're going to make me slave over a hot grill to feed all of you spuds. Nuh uh, no way!"

"Aw come on Dad!" PJ pleaded.

"Yeah" Pistol chimed in, "You always loved grilling in the backyard!"

"Don't be so stubborn Pete." Peg said playfully, smiling.

"Alright alright" Pete said, smiling and chuckling to himself "You win, we can have a barbeque. Be nice to get out and grill some real food after all these years. And everyone's invited." He continued, looking around at the group. "Even that duck, wherever he is."

"Sounds like a lot of fun!" Sora stated, smiling and resting his hands behind his head. "I can't wait".

The doctor suddenly cleared his throat prissily and looked at the King. "With all due respect your majesty, this has been a very interesting visit, but I think its time most of you left. It is getting late, and Mr. Pete needs his rest." The doctor looked across the room at Peg and the kids "You and the children can stay with him overnight if you wish Mrs. Pete…But as for everyone else…" he continued, turning back to the others and giving them a stern look. "Visiting hours are over."

Sora looked at Goofy "We better go find Donald, he's probably wondering what happened to us."

"Yeah" Goofy replied, "We've got to go fill him in on everything." He turned and smiled at Pete "See ya later Petey. Max, come on."

"Alright" Max said. He headed towards the door and then turned to give his goodbyes. "See ya Mr. P. Take care. I'll call you later Peej"

"Yeah, talk to you later." PJ said.

"I'll be back tomorrow" King Mickey added "We've still got things to talk about. Take care"

"See ya guys" Pete replied.

The King turned and followed the doctor and the rest of the group out of the room, leaving Pete alone to rest and catch up with his family.

The End.

-Wow, I can't believe I am finally done. Seems like that took forever, lol. Definitely going to take a break for awhile before I start anymore of these. Anyway, I hope everyone liked it. After all these years I finally got this story down on paper (err. Computer). And it's not done yet! I already have a sequel story planned! It's going to be awesome. Please look forward to it, although I don't suspect I'll get started for a while. I am burned out on writing again. I can't believe I ended up writing this whole thing while on breaks during work. My coworker kept joking about how I am "writing a book", lol. Anyway, I am finally done and it is EXACTLY time for me to leave work and go home. That worked out well. See you in the next fic! extra note: the last thing I came up with for this was the title. For whatever reason I just couldn;t really think of one, and even that one I don;t really think is the perfect one, but its the one that came to mind-


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